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| Joining the 2005 Herndon Science Fair winning team are (back row) Brian Lucky, Aerospace advisor to the team; Peter Starodub, teacher; and Carlos Green, Aerospace cochair for the Herndon Science Fair. |
Palos Verdes Peninsula High Team Takes Top Prize
In Science Competition
EL SEGUNDO, Calif. (6/2/05) -- A team of PALOS VERDES PENINSULA HIGH SCHOOL students took first place in the high school experiments category of the 28th annual Robert H. Herndon Memorial Science Competition held today at The Aerospace Corporation in El Segundo.
Members of the winning team were David Kamm, Catherine Kim, David Lluncor, Carol Suh, Karis Tang-Quan, and Geoff Woo. Team members at least 16 years old will be offered paid summer positions at The Aerospace Corporation if they successfully complete the application process. They also will receive $1,000 savings bonds. Their experiment demonstrated the possible use of piezoelectric ultrasound in driving molecules through membranes. Placing second in the high school experiments competition was BANNING HIGH SCHOOL. Team members were Martin Marrufo, Daniel Mejia, Antonio Ochoa, Vynessa Ortiz, and Patricia Valladolid. Their project investigated the buildup of mercury in marine fauna. Team members will receive $500 savings bonds.
The PALOS VERDES HIGH team of Alex Cohen, Nathan Howard, Esther Jun, Roger Kwan, Alice Lee, and Jessica Lee captured third place, investigating how carbon dioxide might be used to melt ice on Mars, providing a water source. They will be awarded $200 savings bonds.
Laura Chalfin of PALOS VERDES PENINSULA captured first place in the high school essay competition and Stephanie Chen of PALOS VERDES placed second. Chalfin earned a $500 savings bond and will be offered a summer position if she meets requirements. Her essay was titled “Stem Cell Research: Its Promise and Its Controversy. Chen will receive a $250 savings bond. Her essay was titled “Persistent Organic Pollutants.”
Middle Schools
For the second straight year, FRANK D. PARENT MIDDLE SCHOOL won first place in the middle school category of the experiments competition. They devised a radar alert system for trains to prevent accidents. Team members were Darrel Andrews, Abiola Ayanfalu, Tselote Ermias, Irving Gomez, Melissa Holt, and Brandon Thomas. JOHN MUIR MIDDLE SCHOOL was a repeat second- place winner. The team created robots for use in the classroom. Team members were Pablo Nieto, Richard Pollard, Axel Sandaval, Jeremy Sosa, Juan Teran, and Antoine Williams. Parent team members earned $1,000 savings bonds while Muir experimenters earned $500 bonds.
Jill Ballesteros of A-MAN, Inc., International Science and Discovery Center, won first place in the middle school essay category, earning a $500 savings bond, while Yousuf Syed of CALLE MAYOR was awarded second place and a $250 savings bond. Ballesteros’ essay was titled “How the Heart Works” and Syed’s was titled “Graphite Composites Application for Commercial Use.”
Students from 11 Los Angeles area schools participated in the event, designed to stimulate interest among minority students in science, engineering, and technology, and to increase diversity across the aerospace industry.
The Aerospace Corporation is an independent, nonprofit company that provides objective technical analyses and assessments for defense department space programs and other space programs in the national interest.
